We could be friends
by Violet26
Summary: Mokuba has Yugi and his friends over to his and his brothers' house for the night. While making his usual rounds Seto finds Joey sleeping on a sofa. He soon realizes Joey and him have more in common than he thought. Will have puppyshipping in it later. Seto/Joey
1. Chapter 1

A/N I used Jonouchi's English name in this, It's easier, sorry. I was looking through this and figured I should mention, I put the genre as angst along with romance but that's more for this chap. The other chaps. have more humor, although some of the later ones will have a little angst, this one will probably have the most and the romance is still to come. :)

Kaiba walked past the study where his brother had entertained the evenings' interlopers. He had a habit of patrolling the halls and rooms of his very large, (unnecessarily so, he was beginning to realize) home. Seto realized with having the best high-tech security the walk and search wasn't needed but he found a comfort in doing things himself.

There were few things in his life that the eldest Kaiba brother cared about, outside of his company and dueling, (the latter was becoming less important to him the older he got) except his brother and their security. Making sure things were as they should be gave him an added piece of mind.

His routine was what brought him to the study. He had walked past it but stopped in his tracks as he noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He walked back to the door and shook his head when he noticed the lights were still on. With the late hour Kaiba figured everyone would have gone to the guest bedrooms for the night. His brother must have forgotten the light. _"How many times have I told Mokuba not to be wasteful"_ he thought.

Seto opened the door and walked in. He quickly found the switch and with a glance around the room he went to turn the lights off. He had to do a double take, however, when he noticed a sleeping figure sleeping on the sofa.

Seto sighed. He knew the teen from his year in school but the boy was friends' with his younger brother. Seto had asked Mokuba several times why he insisted on making friends with students from Setos' class instead of ones from his own but he never received a straight answer.

Seto knew the other teen well enough, his name was Joey Wheeler. He had to admit he never really cared for him, not that he liked a lot of people but something about the blond boy bothered him. The boy was loud, clumsy and lucky. He was a top duelist along with the boys' friend, Yugi, and Seto, himself, but even that seemed to come from sheer dumb luck and it annoyed Kaiba to no end.

As the oldest and his brothers' keeper, Seto worked hard all his life. He fought for and earned everything he had, (maybe he had used some questionable methods to get it but that was up for debate) . He still worked hard to this day, between school, his company and his brother. Seto didn't have room for luck and he had no desire to get to know someone who's whole life seemed to depend on it.

A groan coming from the sleeping teen brought Seto out of his thoughts. He looked closer at the boy. His eyes narrowed when he saw a stain on the sofa that seemed to be coming from behind the blonds' right shoulder. It seemed to be getting larger and darker.

Seto quickly crossed the room and grabbed the teen by the upper arm. He carefully pulled the still sleeping boy forward to check the stain on the sofa and on the blonds' shirt. He cursed silently when he realized what it was. He pushed the boy back into his original position. "Wheeler," He called out. "Wake up!"

The boy groaned awake. "What?"

Seto grabbed the blondes' arm again and pulled him forward. "What the hell!" the boy cried.

"What's wrong with your back?" Seto asked sharply.

"What?" The blond asked, trying to focus on what was happening. He felt confused at first then realized what the other boy was referring to. He yanked his arm away roughly and cringed a bit. "None of your business, money bags!" he spat.

Seto grabbed the blondes' arm once again before he could leave. "None of my business?" He questioned angrily. "How is not of my business when you're bleeding all over my very expensive furniture?" He snapped.

Joey tried to pull his arm away again but couldn't. "Oh, I get yer concern," he began. "I worry a lot over my furniture too." he finished sarcastically.

Seto ignored the other boys' remarks and began walking out of the room, the blond in tow. "Hey!" Joey protested. "What are ya doin' '" He tried to yank away again but only succeeded in causing himself more pain.

Dragging the teen out the door and down the hall was no problem for Seto, despite Joeys' struggles. Seto easily had a good couple of inches on the other boy and because of his added height and muscle, he was a good twenty pounds heavier. "You need to get that looked at." Seto stated flatly.

"I can do it myself!" Joey shouted. He had stopped struggling but wasn't going to follow Seto anywhere without protest. He especially wasn't going to explain to the brunette how he got the bleeding wound. "Would ya let go already?"

"The guest rooms aren't that far away, you'll wake those friends of yours if you keep shouting." Seto stated matter-of-factly.

Joey sighed. He didn't want to wake his friends up unless he needed to. He let Seto lead him the rest of the way in silence.

The two rounded a corner and came to another long hallway. Down that hallway and past a couple of doors they stopped. Seto pulled Joey into the room they had stopped in front of and closed the door behind them.

Seto gestured for Joey to take a seat but the teen stood, in protest. Seto shrugged and walked back to the door. Pressing a button on the intercom on the wall next to the door, he called for one of the servants to bring some first aid supplies to the library.

Joey stood cross-armed by the sofa and waited as patiently as he could for Seto to say something. Seto remained silent as he waited for the servant. He took a seat next to a large fireplace in the room.

Within minutes there was a knock on the door. Seto let the servant in and gave his thanks. The man gave a quick bow and turned to leave but was stopped by Seto's hand on his arm. "Tell no one about this." The command was quiet but firm. The man nodded and left.

With the supplies in hand, Seto walked over to the other boy. "Take off your shirt." he said flatly.

Joey stared at Seto in disbelief. With a brow raised he asked, "Where are ya going with this, money bags?"

Seto glared. "Your wound needs to be treated and covered properly before you ruin any other furniture in my house."

Joey narrowed his eyes. "Gee, thanks for yer concern" he replied sarcastically. "but I can do it myself."

"Go ahead then." Seto challenged and handed the supplies to the blonde.

Joey frowned. His wound was on his back and it wouldn't be possible for him to clean it up properly without help. He sighed, knowing he would have to give in. "Fine." he said through gritted teeth, handing everything back.

Seto waited for the boy to remove his shirt and turn around. He had trouble not letting the shock and dismay show as he observed the large cut on Joeys' back that seemed to be surrounded by black and blue. "I don't think you need to see a doctor unless you want to" he said as indifferent as possible.

"No!' Joey snapped. "I'm fine, just, let's get this over."

Cleaning Joey's wound carefully, the brunette boy remained silent. Once the cut was cleaned and properly bandaged he spoke up. "Your father?" he questioned.

Joey looked at Seto surprised after he finished slipping his shirt back on. The surprise on his face quickly disappeared. "Told ya, it's none of your business."

Seto figured the teen's refusal to answer him confirmed what he suspected. Had he seen the wound in an earlier year he would have assumed it was from a fight, Kaiba knew about the company the boy used to keep. Things had changed over the years and the other teen no longer got into those fights. "You live alone with your father." he stated.

Joey had crossed the room and was about to leave when Kaiba had spoken up. He stopped and turned to face the other boy. "Don't mean he did anything."

Seto sighed. He didn't know why he insisted on continuing the conversation but he felt there was something he needed to share with someone who could relate to him. "Sit down." he told Joey. When the blond didn't respond he added, "please." He said the word through gritted teeth, it felt foreign to him. He normally told people what to do and they did it, no questions asked.

Taking in a deep breath and releasing it slowly, Joey gave in, it wasn't every day he heard the eldest Kaiba brother say please. Joey hadn't even been sure, until now, Seto knew how to be polite. He walked back to the sofa he had been standing next to and sat down.

Walking to the door, Seto locked it. He then crossed the room to stand in front of the blond, plenty of distance between them but still within view in the darkening room. He had his back turned to the other boy.

Joey waited patiently as he watched the teen in front of him. Seto's arms seemed to be moving and after a moment the boy lowered his shirt off his back enough to show Joey a long, jagged scar running from the blade of his right shoulder down to the middle of his back. Joey tried not to make a sound of shock as he stared.

Seto covered his scar back up and turned around as he re-buttoned his shirt. "My father." he said bitterly. He had meant of course Mokuba's and his adoptive father but that was an unimportant detail.

"Wow," Joey said, it was the only thing he could say.

"Never laid a finger on Mokuba but that wasn't the first mark he left on me." Seto's tone was neutral but he still felt the bitterness inside him. _"It was the last one,"_ he thought. _"I made sure of that."_

Joey's eyes fell on the floor. "Guess we have more in common than I thought." Seto remained silent. "Hey," Joey looked up. "No one knows, ya can't say anything."

Seto shook his head, "Not if you don't."

Joey nodded. He wasn't about to tell anyone what Kaiba had shared with him, he was just shocked it had been him whom Seto had shared with.

"You should say something though." Seto spoke up as Joey got out of his seat.

Joey glanced at the other teen for a moment, then shrugged. "Maybe." He went to the door without another word. He stopped when he reached for the handle and faced Seto. "Ya know, if ya were nicer, like this, all the time, we might be able to be friends." The brunette remained quiet." Joey frowned and turned back to the door.

Seto watched the boy leave the room. "Friends," he thought as he slumped into the chair next to the fireplace. "Now there's one thing I can't afford."


	2. Quality Time

He raced down the hallway after his brother. On a normal day Seto Kaiba kept appearances up, even to his servants, and would never dream of running through the halls of his home but this was a special occasion.

"Come back here you little monster!" Seto shouted as he watched his brother duck through, yet, another doorway. _"At thirteen,"_ he thought. _"Mokuba's hardly little any more."_ The eldest Kaiba brother remembered the growth spurt his brother had the year before. He figured at the pace he seemed to be going by the time he was eighteen he would probably catch up to Seto himself, if not pass him. Of course, Seto had maybe another year or two to grow too but it was unlikely he'd get any taller. _"Monster still fits though"_ Seto sighed.

Kaiba followed his brother down one of the longer halls of their mansion and cursed as the runner bunched at his feet. He managed to keep his balance and grabbed the banister of the stairs to the main hall as he rounded the corner. He skidded to a halt as he noticed his brother standing in front of the entrance doors. Seto straightened himself up as two figures glanced his way. He began walking towards the two ready to greet their visitor, although he was unhappy they came unannounced. Once he was close enough he realized who the visitor was. "You get lost?" He addressed the blond standing in front of the door. "That's the only reason a for a mutt like you to be here." he said coolly.

"Hey money bags, coming to the house of darkness wasn't exactly the first thing on my mind but Mokuba's bike was lying in front of the gate and I didn't want it to get stolen." The blond ran a hand through his hair as he smiled at the youngest Kaiba brother.

"Whoops," Mokuba replied as he returned the smile. "Thanks Joey."

"Mokuba," Seto began sternly. "I told you to take better care of your things, leave that bike out by the gate one more time, its gone."

"I'm sure it was an accident Kaiba." Joey spoke up.

Seto glared at the other teen. He was about to tell the boy the situation wasn't his concern and he should mind his own business when a thought occurred to him."Who let you in the gates anyway?" he snapped.

"I did." his brother spoke up. "Heard the buzzer when I ran past the door." Seto narrowed his eyes at the younger boy but Mokuba just smirked.

"Don't worry, I'm going." Joey said. "Gotta do some shopping anyway."

"You going to the mall?" Mokuba asked the older boy.

"Yeah." Joey replied. "Have to get something for Yug, his birthday's next week."

Mokuba smiled at him. "Were you walking?, Cause we could take you if you want a ride."

"No!" Seto and Joey shouted in unison.

"I mean," Joey began politely. "I wouldn't want to trouble anybody."

"It wouldn't be any trouble would it Seto?" Mokuba asked his brother and when Seto narrowed his eyes at him Mokuba moved the brown book he held behind his back to Seto's view.

Seto growled quietly in frustration. "Whatever." he said flatly.

"See?" Mokuba beamed at the blond in front of him.

"Ah," Joey began, unsure of what to say. "Okay." he agreed a bit reluctantly. He didn't really want to ride with Seto but it did look like rain and he didn't want to get caught in it.

* * *

The ride to the mall had been a quick one. Joey was thankful for that. The three boys had ridden in uncomfortable silence, listening to the sound of the short downpour that stopped as quickly as it started. Joey had to admit though, there had been one nice thing about the trip, it was the first time he showed up at the mall in a limo.

Walking through the crowds of people with Seto and Mokuba proved to be more interesting than Joey would have thought. He knew the two had plenty of money and Kaiba Corp. was a company known by most, if not everyone, especially after Kaiba hosted "Battle City". Even with that knowledge Joey never gave a second thought to what doing everyday things, like shopping, would entail for the boys.

Two guards walked a few feet ahead of them and two followed a few feet back as they walked. They all must have come in another car, Joey figured, because they hadn't been in the one he and the brothers had ridden in.

Groups of people stopped and stared as they noticed the boys. Joey began to feel uncomfortable with all the attention but both brothers walked as if nothing was happening around them. He figured they were used to it but couldn't imagine himself ever feeling that way.

The attention he had received after duelist kingdom and battle city had been fun the first couple weeks and he never did mind the groups of girls who would whisper, smile at him and giggle when he waved to them. After a while though it had grown old and got bothersome when he went out and groups of people flocked to him asking questions and wanting autographs. When it eventually died down he had been thankful.

It seemed the attention never stopped for the Kaiba brothers. Both of them seemed to have plenty of smiling and giggling girls pining after them. He even noticed on more than one occasion another boy checking out the young CEO.

Joey did his best not to snicker when one girl actually bumped into a stand advertising phones when she paid more attention to Kaiba than to where she was going. Mokuba, who walked a few paces ahead of the blond fell back to his side. "They do that all the time." he whispered to Joey with a small laugh. "I get a few of the younger ones looking at me, some of the older ones tell me how cute I am but most of the attention is on Seto."

"Huh," Joey replied vaguely. He figured the Kaiba brothers would both get plenty of attention from the dueling crowd and the business world but he never thought Seto would be so popular with girls. There were the group of fangirls, as he and his friends called them, from their school but that was different. These weren't just teenage girls, they were women of all ages.

"You probably have plenty of girls fawning over you too." Mokuba said cheerily.

Joey smiled. The crowds that had gathered around may have died down but he still had a few admirers from time to time. "I do alright." he replied to the smaller boy. Mokuba smiled before turning away. Joey returned his attention back to Seto who still led the way, behind the guards, down the aisle. He figured women would like the fact Seto was rich and smart. Joey looked closer at the figure in front of him. _"I suppose he's good-looking too." _he thought._ "He's tall, has an attractive face, for a guy, his hair's nice, it's hard to tell what his body looks like because of that.." "_Ow!" he groaned as he realized he ran into one of the displays down the center of the hall.

Mokuba snickered. He had kept pace with Joey but wasn't paying him much attention until the blonde cried out. "You alright?"

Joey felt himself blush as he straightened up. "I'm fine, I just, ah.." He searched his brain for an answer.

"Got distracted?" Mokuba suggested.

Joey nodded. "Yeah." he said flatly, he hoped the younger boy didn't ask what distracted him.

Mokuba glanced at his brother and back at Joey with a smirk. "What?" Joey asked the boy, curiously. Mokuba shook his head. "Nothing." he replied, still smiling. He went on ahead to catch up with his brother and left Joey confused.

They continued on for a bit longer before the youngest Kaiba brother pointed out stores he wanted to stop in. The other two boys followed him from store to store in overall silence. The four guards seemed to disappear into the crowds but Joey was sure they were only a heartbeat away.

Mokuba interrupted the silence eventually and chatted about everything from what he wanted for Christmas to what he planned on doing once school finally ended for the summer break. While listening to his young friend Joey searched for the perfect gift but couldn't find anything he liked.

The time to break for lunch quickly came and Seto and Joey were both glad. After ordering food the three found a spot to sit. Joey's normally healthy appetite wasn't present, he felt too tired from the walking and frustrated at not finding anything for Yugi's birthday, so he picked at his food. Mokuba didn't seem to have that problem though as he hurried through the plate in front of him, talking in between bites.

Kaiba watched his younger brother with disbelieve. The boy never ate like that at home. There had been moments when Seto had to tell his brother not to rush through his food but it was never like this. The boy ate as if he were a condemned man with his last meal. _"I'd expect that from Wheeler,"_ he thought. _"but not Mokuba."_

Mokuba finished eating and excused himself to go to the washroom. "Once you two are finished there's this store you just have to see Joey, I think you might be able to find Yugi something there. " He announced as he left.

Once again there was silence. After a moment Joey decided to speak up. With a small sigh he said, "Well, he seems happy today. Didn't know he had such an appetite."

"He doesn't usually." Kaiba said flatly.

Joey drummed his fingers against the table, trying to think of something else to say. "Didn't know he could talk so much either."

Kaiba made a "hmpf" sound. "Yeah, sometimes getting him to shut up is the real challenge."

Joey couldn't help but laugh. _"Money bags does have sense of humor,"_ he thought. _"Who knew?"_

"Hopefully this won't take much longer, I have plenty to do yet." Seto began. "Besides, I hate shopping."

Joey was surprised Seto continued the conversation but went with it none the less. "Me too, I only do it when I have too." he said.

Seto continued to stare in the distance but still replied. "I usually have people to do this for me." he said matter-of-factly.

Joey rolled his eyes at the comment but decided to keep things civil. "I hate the crowds." he replied.

For the first time Seto looked at Joey. "Me too." Joey met his gaze, more than a little shocked at the confession. He'd never thought Seto Kaiba, who seemed to thrive from attention would hate a crowd. "I like them for events that I organize but not here." he clarified. "People clawing their way past each other to find the best deals in stores that marked up their prices only days ago, marked them down to their original price and call them sales, it's irritating."

Joey nodded his agreement. _"I'm sure the stores that sell items from Kaiba corp never do that."_ he thought sarcastically but still opted for keeping the peace. It wasn't often he had a chance to talk with Kaiba without it breaking into an agreement.

Mokuba finally made his way back to the table. "Ready?" he asked the boys.

Joey nodded. Seto and him followed the excited boy back through the crowds of people to the shop he was talking about. It was a small game shop much like the one Yugi's grandfather owned with a selection that was smaller but seemed to have rarer games, cards and other related items. Joey looked around, he doubted he'd find anything for his friend.

After a few minutes of searching, Joey spotted a rare duel monsters card. He picked it up and sighed as he looked at the card in his hand. It wasn't anything Yugi would be interested in but would be a perfect addition to his deck. He groaned as he noticed the price, it was more than he could afford to spend on a card._ "Not like I get much chance to play anymore anyway."_ he thought. With another sigh he went to find Mokuba.

"Find anything Joey?" Mokuba asked curiously.

"Nah, I know a couple other places I can check, I have plenty time left anyway." He said with a small smile. "I think I'll get goin', it's getting late. Thanks for the ride." Joey said as he made to leave but the boy called to him.

"Wait, don't you want a ride back?" Mokuba asked.

Joey thought for a moment. The only reason he'd accepted the ride in the first place was to escape the rain. He'd spent time with the two because Mokuba insisted on helping him find something for Yugi. He did enjoy spending time with the youngest Kaiba brother and it hadn't been as bad spending time with Seto as he expected but he had to get back home. "Thanks, but I'll be alright, the rain's stopped." he said politely.

"Oh, it's no problem, I'm finished shopping and Seto doesn't really like it anyway." Mokuba laughed. "He's so busy all the time, I just drag him with to spend some time with him. I'd do what he likes doing but it's pretty boring. Joey smirked. "Let me get brother and we'll give you a ride back." Mokuba said before turning away.

"It's alright really, I can…." Joey began to protest but the boy was off in search of his brother before he could finish.

Just like he did on the way to the mall Joey sat next to Mokuba on the way back. Mokuba sat across from his brother and had to laugh. _"Seto thinks he's so smart," _the boy thought._ "He thinks no one sees him look." _he smirked._ "I think I might need help though."_ He noticed the curious looks he was receiving and stopped laughing. "I was thinking about a joke I heard the other day." he lied.

Seto raised an eyebrow but turned back to face the window without a word. Joey smiled at the boy. "That funny, huh?"

Mokuba nodded his head. "I'd tell you but I'm sure I wouldn't tell it right." The blond just laughed.

Joey had insisted on walking from the brother's house so they wouldn't have an extra stop. Once they arrived at the mansion Seto began walking inside the gate but stopped, turned and called to Joey. "Wheeler!" Joey turned on the sidewalk. "Catch." Seto said as he threw something towards the other boy.

Joey easily caught the small box that was tossed at him. He couldn't help but stare in disbelief at the item in his hand. The box held the rare card he had looked at in the game shop in the mall. _"Why would Kaiba buy this for me?"_ he wondered. The blond glanced back up after the shock began to wear off. He had meant to say thank you but both of the other boys were already half way back to the house.

Joey stood frozen in place for a few minutes before looking back at the card in his hand. With one last look at the two retreating figures Joey turned and made his way back home.

A/N Whoohoo! Finally, sorry for the long wait and the lengthy chapter. I figured they're not even friends in the show, (although by the end they did seem to have more respect for each other than the beginning) so I figured it would take some time and the building of a friendship first before anything else happened. Hope you like this chapter. The ages might be a little off. I planned this to take place after "Battle City" but before school ends. I tried looking up their ages and found in the original version Joey and the rest were around 18 but in the English one they were about 16. I figured everything takes place over a couple of years so I went with the ages from the English version making Joey and Seto 18. Mokuba, I found out was about 5 years younger than Seto in the original but I'm not sure about the English version so I kept the 5 year difference. Sorry if anythings' off in the timeline. Feel free to comment on mistakes, thanks. Chapter 3 won't take as long, hopefully. :)


	3. The plan

Serenity blinked as she stared at the younger boy in disbelief. "You think Joey," she began slowly. "Likes your brother." Mokuba nodded from his spot across from her. "You mean like, likes?" she asked, still trying to fathom what the boy was suggesting. Again Mokuba nodded. Serenity's eyes widened. _"He can't be serious."_ she thought. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." Mokuba replied weakly. "I've seen them together. I know my brother likes your brother."

"Your brother." Serenity said simply. She shifted in her spot on the floor. "Seto Kaiba." She heard her brother talk about Seto Kaiba before but none of it had been anything pleasant and from what she heard from Joey's friends, the eldest Kaiba brother didn't think much of her brother either. Sure, from what she had seen and heard, Seto seemed to have gained some respect for her brother after "Battle City" but still. "Are you sure?" she asked.

"I know Seto likes your brother and I'm pretty sure Joey likes him back." Mokuba smiled.

"Your brother told you he likes Joey?" the girl asked, disbelieving.

Mokuba scratched the back of his neck. "Well, not directly."

Serenity frowned at her friends' tone. "What does that mean?"

Mokuba hesitantly took a brown, leather-bound book from the bag next to him and held it up for her to see. "He wrote it."

"Mokuba!" Serenity shouted at the boy as she realized what the book was. "That's private!"

Mokuba hung his head. "I know but when I found it, by accident, I was so surprised that my brother kept it that I had to look at it." he tried to reason.

"You _had_ to do nothing of the sorts!" she scolded.

"It's mostly just figures and new ideas for Kaiba corp." he shrugged. "But it did mention your brother and feelings he has for him. He likes him Serenity."

"Who likes who?" The two jumped at the sound of Tristan's voice.

"You mean, who likes whom?" Duke sounded from next to the other boy.

Tristan shrugged. "Whatever." he said flatly as they were joined by Yugi and Tea.

"Who are you two talking about?" Tea asked curiously.

"That's what we're trying to figure out." Tristan replied. "So?" he asked the younger two who were still seated on the floor.

"Um," Serenity began, unsure what to say.

"Let me guess," Tristan said, looking between the two. "You said he likes him, and you both have brothers, so.." Duke interrupted him.

"Oh, I get what you're suggesting. Joey likes Kaiba." Duke joked. Everyone except Serenity and Mokuba began laughing. Duke stopped laughing when he saw the younger two looking down at the floor. "Wait, seriously?"

Serenity remained quiet. "I think he might" Mokuba said, barely above a whisper.

The room fell silent until Duke and Tristan burst out into a new round of laughter. "You think Joey likes Seto Kaiba." Tristan said, panting and clutching his sides. "That's like suggesting you," he glanced at Serenity. "Like him." He straightened and nodded towards Duke.

Duke glared at Tristan. "Just because you can't do better than your hand, don't suggest I can't get a date."

"I didn't suggest that, I suggested you couldn't get a classy date with someone like Serenity." Tristan snapped. "And I'm sure you've spent more time with your hand then I have with mine." Tea cleared her throat loudly behind him.

"Guys," she said, annoyed. "There are ladies present." Her two friends stopped arguing and glanced at her.

Duke sent Tea a charming smile. "Sorry Tea," Then he smiled at Serenity. "Serenity." She returned his smile and nodded.

"Oh," Tristan began. He sent Serenity a polite smile. "Sorry Serenity."

Tea waited for her other friend to apologize to her and when he didn't she huffed loudly. "Your hand deserves someone better." She snapped at Tristan.

Tristan stared at his friend blankly. "What?" he asked.

"What makes you think Joey and Kaiba like each other?" Yugi asked Mokuba politely.

Mokuba smiled and stood up. He wasn't about to show anyone else his brothers' journal. "The way they looked at each other the last couple times they were together." he shrugged. "I don't know, it was different from what it used to be."

"I don't know," Yugi began, unsure how to feel. "I guess it's possible."

"What about Mai?" Tristan questioned.

Serenity stretched as she stood up too. "Well, he doesn't talk about her much anymore." she said in her friends' defense. "And when he does, it's not in the same way."

"But still," Tristan replied, unconvinced. "Kaiba?"

"Well, Joey could do worse." Duke piped in. Tea, Yugi and Tristan turned to him, with shocked and confused faces. "Think about it, Kaiba is rich, smart and good-looking." Tristan raised a brow at him. "What, don't tell me you haven't noticed."

Tristan shook his head. "No I haven't." he replied quickly.

"Just because you're insecure with your masculinity doesn't mean I am." Duke replied, matter-of-factly.

Before Tristan had a chance to say something Tea spoke up. "What we need to do is see the two together."

Mokuba nodded. "Then we can set the two up." Tristan groaned in frustration.

"What about a dinner?" Yugi suggested. "You," he looked at Tea. "and Mokuba, Serenity, Joey, Kaiba and me."

"What about us?" Duke asked, referring to him and Tristan.

"Oh," Yugi glanced at his friend. "Um, well, I figured you two would be busy and wouldn't want to come anyway. He had purposely left the two out, knowing they'd turn the dinner into a joke.

"Nope, not busy at all." Tristan replied, too cheerily.

"You don't even know when we were planning on getting together." Tea said coolly.

"Yeah," Duke smiled, throwing an arm around Tristan's shoulder. "But we wouldn't miss it for the world."

Tea rolled her eyes. "Fine." she said reluctantly. "You two can come too but you better behave."

Duke placed a hand over his heart and with a mock, wounded look he answered. "Of course Tea, how could you suggest we wouldn't be anything but perfect gentlemen?"

Tristan cast Duke a side-glance. "Because she knows us." he suggested. The two began laughing again. Tea and Yugi shared looks and shook their heads.

"Dinner sounds like a great idea and I'm sure I can get my brother to go but when did you want to plan it?" Serenity spoke up.

"How about next Friday?" Yugi asked.

Serenity nodded. "That should be fine. Mokuba?" she glanced at the boy next to her.

"I'm sure I can get Seto to agree to go." Mokuba said with a smirk to which Serenity frowned. "I have to go but call me with the details okay?"

Serenity's frown faded and she gave her friend a small smile. "Okay."

Mokuba said his goodbyes. As he was leaving the game shop he meant Joey entering. "Hi Joey."

Joey smiled at the younger boy. "Hey Mokuba."

Mokuba paused for a moment, wondering if he should ask Joey about the dinner but figured he'd leave it to Serenity. "See you later." He said and exited the store.

"Bye." Joey called to the boy before he went to find his other friends. He entered the back room where he found his friends and was surprised when it fell silent the minute he stepped in. "What's going on?" he asked cautiously.

"Hi Joey!" Serenity said to her brother. "We were talking about doing something next weekend. I think I could manage to come back for another visit."

"Yeah, sounds good." Joey gave his sister a one arm hug. "Always happy to spend time with you kid."

Serenity laughed. "I'm getting kind of old to be called kid."

Joey let go of Serenity's shoulder. "Alright sis, sorry."

"It's alright." Serenity gave her brother a sweet smile. "So dinner next Friday sound good?"

"Dinner always sounds good to Joey." Tristan laughed.

"Ha, ha." Joey replied dryly.

The group discussed the details of their plans and parted ways. Serenity followed her brother to Yugi's house, where they had been staying. _"I could just ask Joey how he feels about Seto but I doubt he'd tell me the truth. So, till next week I guess, I'll just have to wait." _With that thought she sighed and followed her brother into the house.


	4. Dinner for 8?

A/N Here is the next chapter, finally! If anybody's still following this, I hope you like it and I promise the next chapter won't take so long. I also want you to know that I'm planning on finishing my other stories too. The next chapter of this one will probably be the last, hopefully it turns out good. Anyway, enjoy! Let me know about any mistakes, please.

Seto drummed his fingers on the tabletop as he stared at the brunette. _"How does she manage to say so much without stopping for a breath"_ he wondered, amazed. _"Even Mokuba isn't that bad."_

To say the young CEO was bored would be an understatement. He felt ready to share everything his younger brother was using to blackmail him with the whole group, if it meant the torture would stop. He glanced around the table and noticed even the girls' friends seemed to be having trouble holding onto her words.

Tristan and Duke were sharing looks from time to time. Yugi smiled at his friend but somehow it didn't seem like his usual bright smile. Mokuba and Serenity were nodding in agreement or answering as they should have but seemed distracted. Joey, who sat across from Kaiba, looked up in between bites of food but the glances seemed fleeting before he returned to his food or looked around the restaurant.

"I mean, who is she to talk, right?" Tea asked with a glance at Serenity, waiting for an agreement. Seto wasn't sure if the question had been directed at the girl or the whole group. Serenity smiled and shrugged and the other girl continued.

Kaiba tried to eat to distract himself from Tea's insistent chattering but didn't have much of an appetite. He couldn't glance around the room as something else to do. He had already done it enough times to have every detail engraved in his memory, from the pattern of the wallpaper to the other occupants of the restaurants. There was a family of four in the far right corner, the image flashed in Seto's mind as he stared blankly at Tea. In the left corner there was a group of five girls he recognized from school, and sat by the two tables by the wall, in front of theirs, were two couples. One couple was man and his wife, he assumed wife by the ring that glistened on her finger, both were in their mid - fifties. The final table in had a young couple, maybe in their twenties, seated by it. Their first date, Seto guessed from the way the two were fidgeting, the man pulled at the collar of his shirt and took constant sips of water while the woman tapped long, painted nails in a manner similar to the way he was tapping his and twirled her hair. Kaiba tried again to focus on what the brunette at his table was saying but gave up when the words seemed to garble together and chose to stare at his food instead, until he heard her fall silent and a new voice spoke up. "So Joey, how do you like your new place?" Yugi asked cheerfully. Seto's head shot up to see the blond shrug.

"Alright, can't afford much now but after school I'll get a better job." Joey stated after swallowing. "I'd be better if I had a better roommate." he glared at Tristan.

"Hey!" Tristan said, raising a fork to point at Joey. "You're the one that snores."

"My snores have to be better than the unearthly noises ya make." Joey narrowed his eyes at his friend. Tristan replied with an eye roll of his own. Duke, from beside Tristan, laughed then groaned when Tristan elbowed him.

Seto smirked, the boys may be acting childish but it was more interesting to listen to than their friend. _"So Wheeler walked away from that father of his, it's about time time he did something."_ he thought. His smirk softened into a smile, something rare for him. With everyone concentrating on Tristan and Joey, Seto decided to take a chance. He watched the blond boy with curiosity.

After their talk some weeks ago and their visit to the mall, Seto realized he and Wheeler had more in common than he had originally thought. Since then he found himself thinking of the other boy more than he cared to admit. Seto still thought Joey's life depended on luck and he was loud and clumsy but if he was honest with himself, he had to admit he had developed feelings for the blonde boy.

"Battle City" had actually begun it. After seeing Joey duel during the last round of the tournament the young CEO had begun to respect him as a duelist. Soon Seto began seeing the other boy in a new light. It was a small change at first but as it grew he fought hard to ignore it. When Seto couldn't deny a growing attraction any longer he, (stupidly, he thought now) wrote his feelings down. Writing how he felt seemed to help and Seto found himself concentrating on more important matters again, until after that night.

The night after Seto and Joey talked, after he had seen the bruises and cuts and had shown his own scar, something changed in the CEO. Ignoring the feelings he had became harder than it ever had been. Thoughts of the other boy began to plague his mind. They came often, at all hours of the day. The most inappropriate ones seemed to come at the most inappropriate times. They were making things frustrating for Seto.

Spending time with the other boy at the mall a few weeks later hadn't helped. After that, Mokuba brought up the dinner idea and Seto had been ready to flat out refuse but two things stopped him. The first was obviously his brothers' blackmail tool. The second was; he liked the idea of being able to spend more time with Joey, even if the other teen's friends had to be there too.

Seto continued to watch the blonde teen as he argued with his friend, his smile lingered a bit as he watched the boy's animated features. When he realized he had been staring his smile quickly faded and he averted his gaze.

Mokuba, who sat next his brother, had been doing his best to watch him. He was sure his brother hadn't seen him, otherwise, Seto would have looked stopped looking at Joey sooner than he had. When the young Kaiba had seen the way Seto was watching Joey he smirked. "I knew it" Mokuba thought. "If only someone else would notice it too." He did his best to get Serenity's attention without being noticed by the others. She sat next to him and he gestured to his brother with his head when she looked his way. "Did you see that?" he questioned her quietly. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

Serenity had made sure she paid more attention to the eldest Kaiba brother and she didn't miss how he stared at her brother. The look in his eyes was obvious. "So Mokuba was right." she thought. "But what about Joey?" She glanced her brother's way, curiously.

Serenity and Mokuba hadn't been the only ones who noticed the Kaiba corp CEO watching Joey. Yugi had noticed too.

While the rest of his friends seemed oblivious to anything outside Joey and Tristan's fight, Yugi caught the eldest Kaiba watching his best friend. He had made sure to pay attention to Seto's actions and began to realize Mokuba might have been right, about Kaiba at least. He turned his attention to his friend and decided to watch him more carefully for the rest of the meal.

Yugi did continue to watch Joey's reactions to what Seto said and did as discreetly as he could. He couldn't say he learned much, aside from seeing a faint blush from time to time when Joey glanced at Kaiba. He sighed heavily and caught Tea's attention. "Something wrong?" she asked him quietly. He shook his head no, figuring it wasn't the best time to discuss what he was feeling when anyone could overhear him.

The truth was, Yugi didn't know how to feel about the whole situation. He wanted his friend to be happy of course and the idea Joey might be gay didn't bother him (he still questioned Duke and Tristan's relationship). It was Kaiba. If Joey really did like Seto Kaiba, why?

Over the years Yugi had developed a respect for Kaiba. He didn't always like the way Seto went about doing things but he was a talented duelist, an intelligent student and it was clear that he loved Mokuba more than anything. Despite what Yugi had come to respect about the young CEO, Kaiba had many qualities that he knew bothered Joey more than himself. Seto was arrogant, self-righteous and had questionable means of getting what he wanted. He seemed to be less cruel to Joey in the last year or so but Yugi couldn't figure out what could have happened to turn Joey's clear dislike for Seto into not just a friendly liking but an attraction of sorts.

Yugi decided it didn't matter. Joey was his best friend and he wanted him to be happy. If dating Seto Kaiba would make him happy then Yugi would find a way to make that happen. He waited until Tristan and Joey''s bickering died down then spoke up, loud enough for everyone to hear. "Hey Tea, next Friday, did you want to go see that movie you were telling me about yesterday?"

Across the table from Yugi, Tea sent her friend a puzzled look. "Next Friday?" she asked, unsure she heard him correctly. When he nodded she continued. "Can't next Friday, that's your party, remember?"

"Oh, that's right." Yugi replied innocently.

"You forgot when your own party was?" Duke asked with a laugh.

Yugi shrugged. "Nobody had made a mention of it so I didn't think anybody could come." he said absently.

"It's your birthday Yug," Joey spoke up, of course we're comin' "

"Wouldn't miss it buddy." Tristan said with a smile at Yugi.

"If it's a party, I'm there." Duke said casually, taking a sip from his cup. "Besides, I'm hosting it. "

"I wish I didn't have to miss it." Serenity answered sadly.

"What makes you think none of us would come?" Tea glanced at Yugi, questionly.

Yugi shrugged then looked at Seto and Mokuba. "How about you two?"

Seto narrowed his eyes a bit, ready to answer but remained quiet as Mokuba spoke up. "I'd like to but we weren't invited.

"Why not?" Yugi glanced at Tea in disbelief.

" Why would he be? " Tristan muttered to himself, referring to Seto. He had no problem with Mokuba but could care less if he never saw the older Kaiba again. Tea glared at Tristan from next to him and stomped on his foot under the table. " Ow, " he narrowed his eyes at his friend, she sent a quick nod Joey's direction. " Oh, yeah, right. " he replied awkwardly. Across the table, Yugi clapped a hand to his forehead in disbelief and frustration.

Tea shook her head, "Idiot " she grumbled. Returning to the previous subject, she glanced at Yugi. "Don't look at me if they never got invited." She nodded in Joey's direction. "He did invitations."

"I didn't know I was supposed to invi…: he began to protest but he let it trail. He looked between both Kaiba brothers, Mokuba then Seto. Yugi watched him and smirked at what he saw. A blush crept up on Joeys cheeks right after he looked at Seto. "I guess they got lost in the mail." he replied in frustration. He glanced back up. "You're both invited to Yugi's party next week, Friday, 7:00"

Mokuba beamed. "We wouldn't miss it." He smirked at his brother. "Would we Seto? "

Seto shot daggers at his brother. _" Why does he insist on torturing me? "_ he questioned himself. "Not for the world. " he replied dryly.

"Great! " Yugi said happily.

The dinner soon ended after some more discussion of Yugi's party and everyone left to go home. As he was leaving Yugi made up his mind. Before the party he would talk to Joey. He would hint around and try to figure out if Joey liked Kaiba back. If he did then the party would be the perfect place for the two of them to talk. Of course, Yugi knew they might need a little help and he was ready to do just that, if he could figure out how.


	5. Chapter 5

"Start by being friends " Yugi had told him only days prior. How he was going to do that when Kaiba seemed unapproachable, Joey didn't know. They had spent some time alone but only fleeting moments, not enough time for him to know what the other teen liked.

The music thumped around him in the spacious, single bedroom flat and voices chattered loudly. Joey saw Kaiba leaning against the wall on the other side of the room, arms crossed and looking as sullen as ever. He took a deep breath in and exhaled slowly as he began walking towards the other boy._ "I can do this."_ he told himself, nerves twisting his stomach._ "I can do this."_ he repeated as he situated himself next to the other teen. "Hey" he began, his voice coming out higher than intended. He cleared his throat and tried again. "Good party, huh?" Joey cringed at how lame he sounded, at least to his ears.

"I've been to better." Kaiba replied flatly, not bothering to turn towards Joey.

Joey held back an eye roll for two reasons, the first being Kaiba couldn't see him anyway. The second was because it was probably true. _"Who knows what kind parties moneybags has been to"_ Joey thought bitterly._ "No,"_ he scolded himself._ "I can't think like that."_ "So, um...nice weather we're having." Joey groaned inwardly as soon as the words left his mouth. _"Smooth Wheeler "_ he thought._ "Real smooth. "_

Kaiba did turn his head to face Joey this time, an eyebrow arched elegantly. Joey shrugged. Kaiba turned his head back, looking at nothing in particular. "I guess. " he replied without much interest.

_"Why am I doing this again?"_ Joey questioned himself. _"I'm getting nowhere."_ He thought back to days earlier and suddenly remembered why.

* * *

Joey coughed and spluttered as his friend patted his back. "What the hell.." he began in between coughs. "makes ya.. say that?" He straightened himself up as the coughing began to subside.

Yugi stepped back from his friend and ran a hand through his spiky hair nervously. "Well, I guess it's the way you look at him."

Joey turned to look at his friend with narrowed eyes. " How exactly do I look at him?"

Yugi felt his face flush as he stared at the ground. "Well, you seem to blush a lot when he looks at you and you, " he paused a moment, he didn't want to do this, he felt so uncomfortable. "you look at him a lot, like you're, I don't know" he chanced a glance at his friend and saw Joey gawking at him in disbelief. He quickly turned his head to scan the park they were standing in, hoping someone would interrupt them so he wouldn't have to continue. He sighed loudly when he realized that wasn't going to happen. "You seem to look at him like you like him, like you wanthim." He finished quickly, the last couple of words slurring together in his haste to get them out. Yugi felt his face burning as he waited for his friend to say something.

"I...I" Joey stuttered, the warm air felt even warmer. He wanted to deny it. He wanted to tell Yugi he was crazy but, thinking back on recent events, he found that he couldn't. " I have to go. " he replied quickly, turning heel and choosing to avoid the subject instead.

"Wait Joey!" Yugi called after his friend, ignoring the looks he received from startled passersby. Joey stopped and turned hesitantly to face him. "I didn't mean to upset you." Yugi said meekly. He had wanted his friend to admit his feelings and knew it wouldn't be easy but didn't expect the other boy to just run away.

Sighing, Joey rubbed the back of his neck. He glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot before he spoke. "I know, it's just.."

Yugi interrupted the blond. "You wanna sit down?" Joey nodded.

After they found a bench to sit on Joey mustered up his courage. "I'm just surprised, I didn't think anybody noticed." Yugi listened patiently. "It's not that I like him exactly. I mean, I guess he's attra...cu..hands…." he trailed and took another deep breath before exhaling slowly. _"I can do this"_ he thought. He began again. "I guess he's good-looking." he blurted out, feeling a blush heating his cheeks. Yugi smiled but remained silent. He felt it would be good for his friend to confess but knew he had to be patient. "But I don't like him, not like that… why would I? The arrogant, vain, loud-mouthed…" Joey trailed again. Yugi wanted to laugh but kept quiet. Joey was sitting hunched with his head down, staring at his folded hands and had pretty much said the last part to himself.

"Joey?" Yugi questioned his friend, who seemed to have drifted into his own world.

Joey glanced up at the sound of his friends' voice but didn't look at Yugi. A figure nearby caught his eye and he groaned. Yugi followed his friend's' gaze and saw the very person they had been discussing not too far away from where they were sitting.

Both Kaiba brothers were standing nearby and talking to a young boy that couldn't have been older than seven or eight and was crying. Yugi and Joey watched in silence as Seto knelt down on one knee to face the boy and smiled. "It's okay, we'll help you. " he said quietly but loud enough for them to hear. The boy returned Kaiba's smile and nodded. Then the eldest Kaiba brother stood up, took the young boy's hand and the three began walking away.

Yugi could only guess that the child had gotten separated from his parents or whomever he had come to the park with. He had to admit that he had been a little surprised to see Seto act so kindly towards the boy without any apparent coaxing from Mokuba. Yugi glanced back at Joey and cleared his throat to get his attention.

Joey jumped a bit and turned to his friend. "What?" he asked, confused.

"You were staring." Yugi replied quietly.

Joey groaned loudly. "I was just surprised. I mean, ya don't see moneybags acting like that every day. "

Yugi smiled and nodded his agreement but couldn't help but wonder if there was more to it than that. " Well, I should head home." He stood up as he spoke. " I'm looking forward to my party this weekend." He shook his head with a smile when he noticed Joey was still watching the other boys walk away. "You know, you could start by trying to be friends." He finished before leaving his friend alone.

* * *

Joey blew out a quick breath before trying again. "So, how are ya doing?"

Kaiba sighed. He felt irritated. All he wanted was to be left alone. It wasn't that he minded the blonde's presence (not that he'd admit it aloud) but he had only come to the party because of his brother. "I'm fine." He answered shortly._ "Why is Wheeler so intent on talking to me anyway?"_ he wondered. _"Is it because of that time in the mall?"_ He questioned himself then he heard Joey's voice again. "Ya look good tonight." Kaiba froze, _"Did Wheeler really say what I think he did?"_ He slowly turned towards the other boy.

"Ya look good tonight." The words had slipped from Joey's mouth before he had a chance to think._ "Wait, what?"_ he questioned himself. _"I didn't actually say that aloud, did I?_" Guessing by the look of shock and surprise on Kaiba's face Joey guessed he had. "I mean, ya normally do but you look.. um..well, for a guy anyway..ya look good, especially tonight"

_"Please stop talking"_ was all Seto could think as Joey seemed to ponder on how he could fix what he said. He knew the blonde wasn't usually elegant with his words but this was embarrassing. He had been surprised when Joey had complimented him (and a little flattered) but figured the words were only said as something to say. Judging by the other teen's ramblings he assumed he was right.

"What I meant.." Joey began again, obviously more collected then he had been. "Is.." Seto huffed in annoyance, he had enough and just wanted to be left alone. "You know," he interrupted. " You don't have to talk to me."

"Huh?" Joey asked incredulous. "Oh, yeah, I'll just.." he began saying, crestfallen, as he turned to walk away and ran a hand through his hair. He cheeks were burning from embarrassment and anger. He wasn't sure who he was angrier at, himself for thinking something could happen between Kaiba and him, Yugi for encouraging him or Kaiba for not even trying. In one quick turn though he decided he was angriest at Kaiba. He turned back to face the other teen and just let go. "That's exactly what I'm always talking about! " Joey snapped. "Ya don't have any friends because you're a jerk. Nobody who really knows ya likes ya and with that attitude, nobody ever will!" He glared at the other teen, breathing hard and trying to calm himself.

Seto wasn't sure why Joey's words bothered him. He wasn't concerned with what people thought of him (other than his brother), as long as they saw him as a top duelist and a strong businessman. Friends were never a top priority either. However, when Joey finished speaking, something just snapped inside and he didn't care if the whole room stopped and watched him.

Seto pushed Joey up against the nearest wall. He took each of the other boy's arms in a hand and pinned them on either side of the blond so he couldn't move. Joey grunted in pain but didn't try to pull away, he knew Kaiba had a size advantage on him. Instead he settled on glaring coldly. "Have you ever thought that maybe I'm like that for a reason!?" Seto spat angrily, eyes narrowed and breath uneven. Joey listened and watched him confused. "You think I never thought about what having friends would be like? " The CEO knew his voice was loud and uneven but he couldn't bother himself to care any longer. " "You think I don't want to have people who like me for reasons other than my company, money and dueling skills!?" Joey rolled his eyes at the last comment but kept quiet. Seto's voice lowered when he began talking again and he almost sounded saddened. "Friends get in the way, besides..." he paused for a moment before continuing. "People who are close to me get hurt." His grip on Joey's arms loosened but he didn't let go. "You know that from how many times Mokuba has been kidnapped." Joey knew it was inappropriate but he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from snickering at that. Seto's breath was evening out, he felt as if a weight had been lifted yet he still felt angry with himself for what he admitted.

The two teens stared at each other, neither was knew of what to say or do. Their eyes meant and Seto swallowed hard. He wasn't sure what about the moment had caused it, it was hardly a romantic moment, but he felt a heat surging through his body and a desperate urge rose in him to kiss the blonde. Joey didn't seem ready to move soon seeing as how Kaiba's grip on his arms had slacked a great deal and it would be easy for him to push the CEO away so Seto followed instinct. Slowly he lowered his head and brought his lips closer to Joey's. He watched the blond the entire time.

Joey felt his stomach twist, his body heat up and his breathe became shallow. This was hardly how he pictured this moment and, as much as he hated to admit it, he had imagined kissing Kaiba before (many times). He wasn't sure what to do. Part of him wanted to push the other boy away but another part (the part that seemed to be winning the internal fight he was having) wanted to let Kaiba kiss him. Joey's tongue darted out, wetting his lips. He decided against moving.

Seto didn't when it had happened but his hand had moved from Joey's arm and was now tangled in blonde hair. He used his grip to move the other teen's head slowly towards his own. He didn't hear the music that still thrummed in the background or notice anyone else in the room. He just saw the boy in front of him, heard the pounding of his heart and felt their mingled breath. He inched closer, their mouths were only a breath away when... "There you are!" a voice sounded loudly from behind him and quickly broke the trance. Seto nearly jumped away from Joey and turned to see who had interrupted them.

A/N: I'm sorry this took so long. I hope you all like it and hopefully the next chapter hopefully won't take so long to get out.


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